LA Galaxy Players to Watch during Coachella Valley Invitational Matches
The LA Galaxy is back in the desert for the Coachella Valley Invitational (CVI) to get ramped up for the 2025 season. The reigning MLS Cup Champions have made their trip to the Empire Polo Grounds an annual tradition to spend some time building chemistry, rebuilding match fitness, and playing under the California sun with palm trees in every direction.
While preseason matches tend to have light weight or indication of how a team will begin a season, it can provide some interesting trends or standout players that could play a role at the genesis of the season. Here is a guide on players that you should be tracking their performances as the games in the desert go on.
Julian Aude
The 21-year-old left back is looking to regain his spot in the starting lineup this season in his third season with the club. After a strong start to the campaign in 2024, a groin injury sidelined the Argentine defender for 11 games in the middle of the season. John Nelson took over the starting role and never gave it back en route to an MLS Cup Final victory.
The Galaxy made a major investment in Aude when the club signed him with a reported transfer fee of $4 million from Lanus. He’s been great at moving the ball forward in possession and being an extra asset in the attack. His defensive play has also improved in his two seasons with the Galaxy.
A poor preseason showing likely means that Nelson will remain the starter for the LA Galaxy but if Aude’s able to make you ponder about who should be the starter - it means it was a good preseason for the Argentine.
Ruben Ramos Jr
The 18-year-old attacking midfielder is one of, if not the best prospect out of the LA Galaxy academy at the moment. He’s a special talent that has yet to get consistent playing at the MLS level but has been consistently good at the youth level.
The La Puente, Calif. native scored in the LA Galaxy Academy U-17’s 4-1 win over Charlotte FC in the final of the 2024 U-17 MLS NEXT Cup. Ramos Jr. is a prospect that Greg Vanney and the rest of the Galaxy technical staff have been keeping a close eye on the last couple of seasons.
The Galaxy is going to play a lot of young players at the CVI in hopes that one looks like they could hold their own at the MLS level. Ramos Jr. looks to be a player that breakout this preseason and show flashes against MLS level opponents. Expect to see him deployed as an attacking midfielder or out wide, he’s got a creative element to him that could show out if he’s playing with the starting lineup.
Joseph Paintsil
The Ghanian winger played in 78 games since the start of the 2023/24 European season for club and country. He finally was able to get a rest this offseason and will now get to work his way back for his second season with the LA Galaxy.
The departure of Dejan Joveljic means that someone needs to step up at the striker position. While Miguel Berry is the back up striker on the depth chart, last season Vanney utilized Paintsil at the lone striker when Joveljic had to miss a portion of the season due to injury.
The Galaxy doesn’t look likely to get a new striker before the start of the season so playing Paintsil as the no. 9 seems like a realistic option Vanney could roll out at the start of the season.
Paintsil was successful at creating danger against teams that played a higher line and with a back four but struggled against teams that were more compact in the backline and took away space in between the lines.
Novak Mićović
This seems like it has to be the breakout year for Mićović, who is entering his third season for the Galaxy. The Serbian goalkeeper has been a project player the last couple of seasons but the leash on him is shrinking.
During last seasons CVI, Mićović looked poised to win the starting spot but shaky performances made the coaching staff reevaluate if he could be trusted being named the starter.
It will be tough to bench McCarthy given his influence in the locker room and being a key member of the MLS Cup winning squad. The Serbian keeper has to put up good performances at the CVI or else he might spend another season being second fiddle.
Tucker Lepely
The departures of Mark Delgado and Gaston Brugman means there is little depth in the middle of the park. Lucas Sanabria is set to join that department but he’s yet to be part of a training session with the team. MLS SuperDraft pick Tucker Lepely could see his usage grow this season and at the CVI.
The UCLA product had an excellent preseason last year, being one of the standout players. He’s a calm presence on the ball and plays the game in a simple yet effective way. The Galaxy is going to need players to step up in the midfield given the higher load of games in the early part of the season.
Lepley made 22 appearances for Ventura County FC last season where he was one of the most consistent players on the squad. I believe a year of playing time plus training with some of the best midfielders in the league last season helped his game develop.
This is the best chance for Lepley to stamp himself into the midfield rotation. Vanney tends to bring in midfielders off the bench often, a role Lepley should be looking to achieve in 2025.
Jose “Pepe” Magaña
The 18-year-old defender is one for the future and player to keep an eye on in the coming years. Jalen Neal was able to grow and develop into a starting caliber center back and Magaña could be next to follow that development arch.
The U.S. youth international was a standout player in the U-17 2024 MLS NEXT Cup. He was named the MLS NEXT Cup MVP after scoring in the LA Galaxy Academy's 4-1 win over Charlotte FC. Magaña signed a MLS Next Pro contract until the end of the 2026 season but will join the LA Galaxy roster in 2027.
The people I’ve talked to really like this kid for his talents and mental toughness on the pitch. He’s on the preseason roster and could get a handful of minutes at the CVI. I really want to see how he looks going up against MLS level competition. To be named the MVP of the final as a defender( and in the same game where Ramos Jr. netted a hat trick) isn’t by accident.